


One Number Away

by IndecisiveAndUncreative



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Assault, Attempted Sexual Assault, F/M, Sexual Assault, i'm sorry in advance, protective!Rio, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 04:43:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18423042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndecisiveAndUncreative/pseuds/IndecisiveAndUncreative
Summary: The second she heard footsteps behind her, her blood ran cold.She called the only person she could think of. He picked up on the second ring.





	One Number Away

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, unbeta'd and all mistakes are my own

If asked, Beth couldn’t really say how she ended up on the street she did. She was out walking, needing some time to herself, away from the dealership, Dean, her kids – everything. She hadn’t planned on being out long so she left most of her belongings, taking only her phone and a small amount of cash. She got so wrapped up in her head that she lost track of time and her surroundings. She was wandering a poorly-lit street, passing closed businesses with bars over the windows, and looking around for anything familiar but came up empty.

_Maybe if she just kept walking straight she’d run into something she recognized. She had to find something she knew, eventually, right?_

The second she heard footsteps behind her, her blood ran cold. She wrapped her arms around herself and sped up. As her steps got faster, so did the ones behind her and they sounded like they were getting closer. She caught a glance at a barely-there reflection in a store window and saw the figure behind her, dark and menacing.

She was a breath from breaking into a run when a hard grip on her shoulder slammed her into the brick wall on her right, her head hitting so hard that her vision blurred. She blinked a few times and a man came into focus. He towered over her with one arm on either side of her, caging her in.

“And what’s a nice lady like yourself doing out here?” He looked her up and down and it made her skin crawl. He leaned in and grinned at her, teeth yellow and jagged. “All by yourself and looking so damn good,” he purred, licking his lips and raking his eyes over her again, appraising her. “Too clean and too damn good to be here,” he said it almost like he was talking to himself before meeting her eyes, that sadistic grin coming back. “Let’s dirty you up a bit, huh?”

In a blink, one of his hands moved to circle her throat while the other brought a pocket knife out of his waistband. He flicked it open with his thumb and pressed it against her skin. The knife scraped lightly down her chest to the neckline of her blouse. The tip of the blade slipped into the space just under the first button and, with a tug, it came loose.

She jerked when the blade nicked her and brought a slow bead of red to the surface. His grin was ear to ear as he moved the knife down to the next button. Just as easily, the button popped. This time, though, the blade bit harder into her skin as he dragged it up and across her chest. She couldn’t help the whimper that forced its way out of her throat nor the tears that sat at the corners of her eyes.

He had three buttons undone before he looked up at her face again. His gaze was glittering with something Beth didn’t want to put a name to. It said he had plans for her, plans he would enjoy much more than she would.

She steeled herself as much as possible, hoped and prayed to whoever or whatever was listening, and spit in his face.

The hand around her throat tightened, completely cutting off her breath, and her cheek flared in pain at a sudden backhand that had her ears ringing.

“You stupid bitch,” he growled.

The sound of distant sirens quickly moving closer made him pause. His head turned in the direction of the sirens and Beth used his distraction to her advantage.

She snapped her knee up as hard as she could into his groin.

He dropped like a rock and she took off, heels echoing through the abandoned street. She may have been unsure of where she was but she knew she had to get away, right now.

For a split second, she debated on trying to go after the sirens. That plan was quickly dashed by the prospect of getting even more lost and running into someone else. She took the first turn she came to and found herself down a dark alley, huddled behind a dumpster.

_Fantastic. This is a much better situation, good thinking, idiot._

She pressed her back to the wall, willing herself to ignore every gross thing around her, and took inventory. Her shirt was ripped open, her chest was cut and bleeding sluggishly, her throat was probably bruised so bad there’d be no way of hiding it – all in all, she was in pain, scared, and alone.

The only light she found in her dire situation was, by some miracle, the creep hadn’t been out to rob her – she still had her phone.

She called the only person she could think of. He picked up on the second ring.

“Elizabeth?”

At the sound of Rio’s voice, some of the tension in her relaxed and she started whispering in a rush. “I’m sorry. I know- I know you said only to use this line for- for work but I didn’t know what else to do or- or who else to go to. God, I’m so stupid. Stupid!”

“What’s going on?” he interrupted her, “Where are you?” She could hear him shuffling over the phone.

“I don’t know.” She racked her brain for something, _anything_ , to give him an idea where she was.

“Are you safe?”

She looked around at her hiding spot and flashes of her attacker came to her mind. What if he came after her? What if he found her? Back here, in the darkness of the alley, there would be nothing she could do. “I-I don’t know.” Her voice broke and she pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle the ugly noises clawing to leave her bruised throat.

“Okay, okay. Easy, Mama. I’m gonna come get you but, right now, I need you to take a breath with me. Alright? In,” she heard his slow, exaggerated inhale and struggled to copy it, “that’s good, now hold it,” he paused, “good, now out,” she fought to match him again, hearing his car roar to life in the background. “That’s good,” he murmured, voice low and calm, “and again.”

He spent the next two minutes coaching her through breaths before Beth felt like her lungs weren’t going to explode.

“Thank you,” she rasped.

“Of course, darlin’.”

Suddenly, her phone beeped in her ear and she jumped.

“No, no, no, no,” she whined, staring at the low battery warning on the screen.

“What’s happening?”

“My phone’s going to die.”

“Shit,” he whispered, so quiet that he was probably hoping she wouldn’t hear it. “Alight, I need you to do something for me.”

“Okay?”

He seemed to hold his breath for a second before he rushed out: “I need you to hang up.”

“What? No-”

“Sweetheart, listen to me.” He interrupted her before she could work herself into another panic. “I’m on my way to you but you need to conserve your phone’s battery. Okay?”

She stayed quiet, mind racing with every bad thing that could happen between her hanging up and him getting to her.

“Elizabeth,” his voice was soft, “I know you’re scared but I need you to trust me.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard. “Okay,” she finally whispered.

“Okay,” he parroted, “I’ll be there so-” His voice cut off.

Beth refused to look at her phone, knowing she would only have the black screen looking back at her, and a few tears fell unbidden as she closed her eyes.

She made herself as small as possible, head down and arms wrapped around her knees. In her mind, she ran through the songs she used to sing to help her children fall asleep, she ran through the stories she’s read enough times to have them memorized.

A hand on her shoulder interrupted _Goodnight Moon_ and had her jumping to her feet. Her hands curled into fists and she started swinging blindly. She made contact a few times, her knuckles glancing off, but twice she made solid connection, the impact shooting up her arm, and the man swore.

“It’s me! It’s me!” Rio’s voice broke into her frantic mind. “Calm down, baby, please. It’s just me.”

His hands caught her wrists and drew them to his chest. Her eyes found the outline of his face in the dark. Her hands curled into his coat and she collapsed into him. If his arms hadn’t immediately encircled her, she would’ve sunk to the ground. She couldn’t stop the tears if she tried and Rio didn’t seem to mind as he placed a hand on the back of her head and hugged her closer to him.

“I got you, I got you,” he whispered into her hair, “I’m here, you’re safe.”

**Author's Note:**

> There will be a second part!!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Any kudos/comments are much appreciated!!


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